Willing to 'temper my temper' toward goal of safer children

Published 6:35 pm, Friday, March 15, 2013

There should be no private possession of firearms. All firearms for sporting use should be available only in government facilities for use therein. That is not going to happen.

Melissa Marici makes the case for armed school resource officers (SROs). I deplore the idea, but our kids are more important than what goes against my grain. After Newtown, gun rights advocates became enthusiasts for SROs, even arming teachers. These cries are diversions from calls for any restrictions on guns, but if SROs in fact make schools safer, I will have to adjust.

Joe Nocera writes about the attempt to create an anti-violence organization to change the gun culture, citing parallels to the fights against drunk driving and the health hazards of smoking. He quotes a proponent of an anti-violence organization, "When you talk to gun owners, if your purpose is to make them feel bad, they will push back, and you will lose them."

I agree that if you call gun owners, "stupid, shallow, ignorant Neanderthals," even though they are stupid, shallow, ignorant Neanderthals, they will dig in their heels. Again I will have to temper my temper. The safety of our kids is paramount. Gun supporters say of any proposal that it would not have prevented Newtown. One measure is limiting ammunition clips. When the assailant changes ammunition clips, his assault is interrupted, and lives are saved.

I applaud the attempt to change the larger culture toward less adulation of violence. I celebrate the recent revelation that the percentage of gun owners in the U.S.A. has declined in recent decades.

I challenge gun owners to support practical measures to protect lives.

If I can agree to SROs, maybe they can agree to smaller ammunition clips, and maybe even a ban on assault weapons.